Not power consumers’ fault

Power plant shutdowns or breakdowns. These are beyond the control, much less are they the fault, of the consumers.

In the first place, Meralco is mandated by law to provide enough electricity to the consumers with the public interest, not the interest of energy producers, in mind.

The inefficiency costs of power producers should not be passed on to the public.

Also, Meralco has its own power plants. Isn’t it unlawful for Meralco, which is already a power distributor, to be at the same time a power producer? (Connivance is most likely to happen in this kind of arrangement.)

The Malampaya Gas Fund should be used to develop more power plants owned by the consumers, not by government or the private sector. They should have their own charters like the Social Security System. We can call it People Power National Cooperative. This way, there will be true competition, not fake competition, and electricity costs will be reduced.

The profit will be returned to the consumers through what we can call Patronage Refund.

Eventually, this national cooperative will assume the functions of Meralco.

—ISIDRO C. VALENCIA,

Taguig City,

[email protected]